News tagged ‘Intel’

Last month CPU World reported that Ivy Bridge CPUs would launch between April 22 and April 29. Today Cnet and many other sources reports that Intel will start rollout on April 23. Many of the Ivy Bridge chips included in the first part of the launch will be suitable for desktop computers and MacBook Pros. However low-voltage U-Series models that will likely be used in the new MacBook Airs are expected in June.

New rumors claim that the updated versions of Apple’s iMacs will be launched in the June or July timeframe. The June-July timeframe for new iMacs is plausible, as Intel is expected to launch its new Ivy Bridge line of processors at the end of this month.

The updated iMacs will be powered by Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors, How To Arena reported on Wednesday, citing a "reliable tipster" from the Chinese supply chain. The new desktops will reportedly be powered by Intel's 22-nanometer Ivy Bridge processors.

Carolyn Wu, a spokeswoman for the Cupertino, Calif., company, told Bloomberg in an e-mail on Thursday that Apple CEO Tim Cook visited an iPhone production line at a Foxconn plant in Zhengzhou, China to discuss "intellectual-property issues and greater cooperation."

"China is very important to us and we look forward to even greater investment and growth here," the company said.

The executive's visit to an iPhone production line comes as Apple has come under fire for working conditions at its suppliers' factories. Different reports claimed that Apple is aware of rights abuses for years without doing anything about them. Cook, however, said in a letter to employees: "We care about every worker in our worldwide supply chain."

According to DigiTimes, Apple will ramp up production of its new 15-inch MacBook Pro in April, but the mass production of 13.3-inch model will not start until June. The April timing corresponds with reports about new Intel Bridge processors that could be used in the new MacBook Pros.

A Mac accessory maker this week indicated that Apple is "likely" to launch its 15-inch MacBook Air in April. The anonymous source said the thin-and-light notebook would be similar to current MacBook Air models with ports on both sides, no optical drive and no ethernet cable.

The vendor reportedly speculated that the new 15-inch MacBook Air would "effectively (kill) the (MacBook) Pro for the average consumer." They suggested that the new MacBook Air could even replace the 15-inch MacBook Pro, leaving the "Pro" moniker only to Apple's high-end 17-inch model.

In a new report IDG News claims that Intel is currently working on shifting its Thunderbolt standard to the PCI-Express 3.0 protocol. Such move means that the company could double data transfer speeds comparing with the existing implementations based on PCIe 2.0 protocol.

Intel in the future will support the PCI-Express 3.0 protocol to shuttle data faster between host devices and peripherals, an Intel spokesman said in an email. Computers with Thunderbolt interconnect currently communicate with external devices using the older PCI-Express 2.0 technology.

The company will incorporate PCI-Express 3.0 in Thunderbolt, but could not provide a time frame for when it will be accomplished.

A new rumor suggests that Apple could develop a new 14-inch MacBook Air model specifically for the Asian PC market. DigiTimes reported that mass production of the 14-inch thin-and-light notebook may begin soon. Apple is said to be considering the 14-inch screen size for the notebook because it is a popular form factor unique to the region.

Apple currently sells MacBook Air in screen sizes of 11.6 inches and 13.3 inches. But in the Asia market 14-inch notebooks account for as much as 40 percent of sales that is why Apple is said to be considering a screen size specifically for that region.

Sources in Apple's upstream supply chain indicated to DigiTimes that new 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pros with a thinner and lighter design are expected to launch in April "at the soonest," with an initial shipment of just under a million units. A redesigned version of the 17-inch MacBook Pro is apparently not expected at launch.

Apple's upgraded MacBook Pro lineup along with new MacBook Airs and the forthcoming OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion Mac operating system upgrade are expected in the industry to pose a "significant threat" to notebooks. Moreover, earlier this week Intel indicated that the company's next-generation Ivy Bridge chips are expected to debut eight to 10 weeks later than previously planned.

According to Reuters, the legal dispute over the iPad trademark has taken an interesting twist, with Proview filing a lawsuit against Apple in the U.S. over deception associated with the deal between Apple and Proview.

Apple established a dummy corporation under the name IP Application Development Ltd (IPAD) in order to enter into negotiations over the trademark with Proview in 2009. In its lawsuit, Proview alleges that Apple's efforts to conceal its identity amounted to fraud.

MacBook Air lineup was last updated in July of 2011, when Apple added high-speed Thunderbolt ports and backlit keyboards to both the 11.6- and 13.3-inch models, and now sources from Apple's supply chain are waiting for the refreshed notebooks.

The anticipated MacBook Air update was mentioned on Tuesday by DigiTimes, which said that assembler Quanta Computer is expected to see its revenues grow thanks to the new product launch. It was said that Apple is "set to launch a new MacBook Air model," but a specific timeline for its release was not given.

Last year it was reported that Apple is working on a redesigned ultra-thin 15-inch Mac notebook which was expected to launch by the end of 2011. But the company apparently elected to delay its release and wait for the launch of Intel’s Ivy Bridge platform in 2012 to include it in its new models.

AppleInsider now reports citing people familiar with Apple’s plans that the company is preparing to release revamped MacBook Pro lineup sometimes this year. The full range of MacBook Pros will adopt the design aesthetic of increasingly popular MacBook Airs. According to the report, the existing MacBook Pro designs will be phased out over the course of 2012. However it is unclear yet whether the new notebooks will market as a next-generation MacBook Air or MacBook Pro.

Apple has begun to offer a cheaper 13-inch MacBook Air to educational institutions buying in bulk, replacing the two-year offering of white plastic MacBooks, which was recently discontinued. The sales of white MacBook were discontinued by the company back in July of 2011.

Swagg Security hacking group announced this week that they managed to hack Foxconn servers that expose usernames and passwords for clients and employees. Such information could be used to place fraudulent orders for companies like Apple and Microsoft.

Swagg Security alleged that it had bypassed Foxconn's firewall "almost flawlessly." Using several hacking techniques and a couple of days time, the hackers reportedly dumped "most of everything of significance," including usernames and passwords. According to the group, the leaked passwords "could allow individuals to make fraudulent orders under big companies like Microsoft, Apple, IBM, Intel, and Dell."